Date: September 16, 2005 - Author: - Editor: Rob Williams
Steganos have just released a new version of their award winning Internet Anonym program, which brings us to version 8! We are taking a look at the basics, and also what's new. Has much changed? Let's check it out.
Internet Anonymity is huge business now more than ever, because people have more reason everyday to disguise themselves. There are so many individual reasons why anyone would want to hide their identity online. Just like hidden cameras in malls and even in our homes, we are watched regardless of what we do on the internet.
If you are interested in knowing more about Internet Anonymity and how it works, you can read our article on the subject here. For comparisons purpose, you can also look back at our Steganos 7.1 review. Of course, when a company releases a new version of a program, it should be better, right? Let's jump right into Steganos' bio, and then we will look deeper at the new version.
Steganos Internet Anonym Pro 7 is the convenient package for surfing anonymously and destroying traces completely. Every time you use the Internet, your IP address is revealed Texts, images and films that you view online are stored on your PC. Your computer takes note of the most recently viewed documents, your activities on online exchanges and saves search queries. Steganos Internet Anonym Pro 7 offers you triple protection: Anonymous surfing on the Net at the click of a mouse. The integrated Steganos Internet Trace Destructor automatically removes 150 surf and work traces. The integrated danger filters protect you from dangerous web content such as ActiveX and JavaScript files and deactivate interfering web sites. With an optimizing function for ProxyServer to always ensure the highest possible connection speed.
If you have used previous versions of the program, you will quickly notice some changes. The layout has changed, and looks cleaner than before. To add to the geek factor, they have replaced the flat map, which the program has become infamous for, to a new 3D rendered globe. It still gives the same information, but looks much cooler. If you have an obsolete video card, it will automatically revert to the flat map.
Many of the options remain the same, though. Under Comfort & Security, you will see the same option set, where you can hide your browser information, scripts and other various information.
They once again have the unique "Protected Favorites" feature. This allows you to save various URL's in an encrypted format, which will require a password to unlock. To make things even more secure, they rank your password as you type it in. Depending on your character usage, the most effective and 'unbeatable' password should be at least 20 characters long, with special characters used. Also, if you wish to secure all your current bookmarks, it now allows you to encrypt them all in one fell swoop.
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Of course, the main priority of the program is to allow you proxy servers, so that you will remain anonymous. If you find an efficient proxy and wish to stick with it, you can do so. Or you can use the classic proxy roulette, and allow it to change servers every 1 - 60 seconds. Every second would be very inefficient, but 60 seconds is doable if you really wish to be protected.
If there are specific sites that you wish to not remain anonymous to, they give you the option to make that clear.
Remaining anonymous on the internet won't mean much if there are info traces left around your computer. That's where the included Trace Destruction comes in. The concept is quite simple and works similarly to a Adware removal tool. It will seek out various files that meet the specific criteria, and obliterates it. In version 7.1, there were 150 different traces that it could look for, but that number has been bumped up to 200 in this version.
Then comes the Digital Shredder. This tool gives you two primary options, "Definitive destruction of existing files and folders" and "Deep clean the free spaces on your hard drive." The first option will allow you to select a file or folder, or multiple of each and it will allow you to delete it in a manner that it cannot be recovered. It will write and rewrite 0's and 1's over that file in order to make it vanish. You can select a quick write, which is 1 write, or DoD delete with overwrites 8 times. If you really, really want piece of mind, you can use the brutal Gutman write, which overwrites the file 35 times.
The free space cleaner has the same effect, except it's not executed on specific files, but just free space on your hard drive. Files which are emptied from the Recycle Bin could easily be recovered with the correct software. That makes the free space cleaner important.
There are a few minor features that I like, that have been added to this version. You can now be protected while using FTP, and the program should automatically pick up whichever FTP client you are using. You have to try to connect to a FTP server before the program will pick it up though. To make things better, you can even be anonymous using SSL now.
In the previous versions of Internet Anonym, you were able to select an option which would scan all the available proxies to see if they met various criteria. They would have to be fast, and of course anonymous. Well, they have upgraded the feature so you now have to do nothing. It will automatically scan the proxies at regular intervals to insure that you receive the fastest connection possible.
I have always enjoyed using this program, and have used it off and on for years. Ever since I began using it though, I personally have always had bizarre problems, that only *I* seem to have. My primary concern is speed, and I find when enabling the anonymizer, everything is very slow. Webpages download slow, and even sending a request for a URL is slow. Steganos has let people know time and time again that it will speed up over time, but I have not found that to be the case.
What's interesting, is that I have this program installed on both my Desktop and Notebook. The program works much better on my notebook. It's not perfect, but much more stable than the desktop. It could be a configuration problem, but I have tweaked and not been able to find it.
I have always heard mixed reactions about the program and performance, so it could vary between users. One good thing about the program though: It's available as a 30-Day free trial. Without a doubt, if you want to give the program a try, download it here. Hopefully the overall performance is better for you than me. If anyone has happened to have the same issues I have, but were able to isolate the problem, feel free to throw me an e-mail :)
As with the last version reviewed, Internet Anonym 2006 receives an 8 out of possible 10. This is an excellent program with hardcore features to allow you one of the safest experiences while on your PC. In future versions, I'd love to see SSH support, and the ability to add new programs that you want to be cloaked. Great stuff overall.
If you have a comment you'd like to make on this review, please feel free to post in our related review thread. Questions, suggestions and general comments are very welcomed. Also, registration is not necessary, but it's easy to do if you choose.
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